Makita LCT 209 Combo Kit:
Does size really matter? It does when you’re using a cordless drill or driver all day or when you find yourself working over your head or in tight spaces, like building or installing kitchen cabinets.
Makita recently introduced its 12 volt, LCT 209 12volt Combo Kit that includes the 3/8” Drill (model #FD02), the ¼” Impact Driver (model #DT01) and the battery charger (model #DC10WB) and what a combination it is. A versatile, light weight, well balanced combinati...

After reading many reviews and comparisons on heavy duty belt sanders, all roads seem to lead me to this work horse. I looked at my local box store and although they did not carry it, they did have it in their tool rental section. I asked the guy who works on all the rental tools and he said the only problem he has with them, is when people put them down while it is still moving, it eats the cord for lunch. It is a heavy unit which really helps get the job done and if you don’t keep i...

I’ve had the SP6000 for about a month now and used it a number of times. Mostly, I’ve broken down 3/4” and 18 mm plywood but also done finer work including most of the final cuts for several Baltic Birch shop cabinets. Yesterday I cut 1/2” off the bottom of a painted door. More on this in a bit…
Overall, I really like the SP6000. It works as advertised. Plunging action is smooth, cutting with stock blade is surprisingly clean and dust collection is pretty...

I have used this saw for a little over a year now, I have completed a few projects with it, but it doesn’t see daily service. I have used Dewalt, Hitachi, Ryobi, Porter Cable Saws previously.
After reading several reviews, I was choosing between the Bosch, Makita & Festool,
Accuracy is very good. Weight is very good, Ease of use is pretty good.
The blade brake seems to be wearing out, very prematurely in my opinion. This saw doesn’t see heavy use, so I wouldn’t ...

How many tools evoke real pleasure each time you use them? This Makita will do that. I was replacing a patio cover while doing a “Paint the Town” project a couple of years ago. The cover was composed of dozens of 16’ long 2×4’s that needed to be screwed into the crossmembers. A guy that fixed my garage door recommended I buy this Makita for the job. Boy, was he right. Now I typically reach for the Makita before I consider any other drill/driver. The impact takes ...

I’ve been using the 12V Rigid cordless you can see in the photo for quite some time. I figured a cordless drill is a cordless drill, but once I held this Makita in my hand, I was forever changed.
Pros:
Power: This little guy is loaded with torque.
Trigger speed control: The range from just barely turning to fully wound up is all accessible. The trigger has good resistance and feedback. Once you’ve found the sweet spot for the task at hand, it’s easy to repeat....

This drill is great. It has plenty of power. The best part is it only wieghs about 3 lbs. I bought this drill about one month ago. It seems like I haven’t put is down since. I looked over several drills before I bought this one. Most woodworkers can do fine with a 14.4v drill. I looked at several of them. I figured I could get one that wieghs less than a 14.4v, but was stronger at the same time. That is why I chose this. Another cool feature is the LED light right above the trigger. I ...

For years I have used Makita cordless tools. I was using my 9.6 volt drill about two years ago when a friend came by and began to brag on his 18 volt Dewalt drill/driver. This prompted me to start looking around for an 18 volt set to replace my rather gutless 25 year old unit.We were in Home Depot and they were having a sale on combo kits and if you bought the kit, they would throw in an extra battery free. There was the Makita combo kit with the charger and two batteries for $279.00. We che...